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July 18, 2007

Mercedes-Benz Maybach Review

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Maybach's Included Entertainment Remote Control

Lest you have to reach for any controls, Maybach includes a remote control for operating the integrated entertainment/DVD system.

Speed, Time, and Temp. Guages located in the rear roof

Driver! Easy on that gas pedal! Roof mounted gauges allow you to monitor the car's speed, time, and temperature from the rear cabin.

Maybach's Vanity Mirror

Maybach's vanity mirror -- perfect for getting a good look at what an extravagant bastard looks like!

Maybacj 62 Interior, Front

The front of the car is equally luxurious as the rear, with everything from massaging chairs to slick ambient lighting.

Maybacj Interior, Front

Take a good look - this is the closest most of us will ever get to a $400,000 car...

Maybach Engine Start Button

Keys are SO 1990's. This baby starts up at the press of a button.

Maybach Steering Wheel

Naturally, most of the control can also be operated via the cherry wood & nappa leather wrapped steering wheel; various information menus can be called by pressing the illuminated wooden keys in the steering wheel.

Maybach Dashboard

Maybach's dashboard is linked to the navigation system (and the sound system) and can display the next turn maneuver both on the main screen as well as the dashboard's LCD display area, shown above.

Maybach Instrument Panel

The instrument panel has a modular set-up, with the head unit with COMAND keypad and screen at the top, the climate control unit in the center, and a stowage compartment with lid and two cup holders below that.

On the lower operating panel, there are controls for adaptive damping system, distronic and parktronic.

Maybach Main Console

The main console features a 7-inch color LCD display with 5 "soft keys" along the right and left sides. Note that this is not a touch-screen display. Instead, the soft keys are used to select options that are overlayed on each page next to the soft keys.

Maybach Pushbutton Switch

The pushbutton switch is used to highlight and select menu choices. OK activates a selection.

Maybach Trunk

Mapping data is provided on a DVD, accessed via a compartment in the Maybach's trunk.

Maybach Car Navigation DVD Reader

NAVTEQ mapping data power the Maybach's navigation system. Mercedes makes map updates available on an annual basis, at a cost of around $200.

Surprisingly, the statistics on the Maybach's DVD-based navigation system are less impressive than most portable GPS devices. For example, Mercedes includes 1.73 million Points of Interest (POIs), and mapping data for the U.S., Canada, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. BY comparison, Garmin's nuvi GPS units ship with over 6 million POIs, and Magellan's Maestro units have around 4.5 million.

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